Unseen

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Do not distribute, publish, transmit, modify, display, or create derivative works from or exploit the contents of this story in any way. Please obtain permission.

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME.

◇◇◇

I woke up in a cold, dark place. I could hear the crashing sound of the leaves as the wind dances the towering trees. I looked up and fear struck me. I could hear the solemn cries of the animals as they move from one tree to another. The howls of the wolves overpower the place. 

It was terrifying. Why am I here?

I tried to stand but the pain in my knee debarred me to. I fell and was cut by the sharp leaves laying on the ground. They were like fine, small blades that can easily slice one's flesh, just like what they did to me. I lifted my hands and saw tiny drops of blood. I tried to clean them as best as I could but the sharp-edged leaves clung hard to my skin. It was so painful.

I looked around. I listened. And I thought, 'I need water -- I need it so bad.'

The tears warmed my eyes. I was so scared.

The moon was so bright. Its light found its way through the dense leaves above, but it was not enough. The rays were like diamond strings, so dense yet so thin. I could barely see anything. I don't even know what kind of place I was in. But one thing was certain: I was not alone.

"Elara," someone said from behind.

My eyes widened. Where did that voice come from? 

It was a deep, husky voice of a man. It echoed around the place. I tried to use the slight hints of light to find him but I failed. It was so dark. The creatures around me became silent. There were no cries, no howls, no hints of them. All I could hear was the roar of the cold wind. 

"I found you," he said.

Suddenly, everything had become so bright that it pained my eyes. The leaves were thrown away by the blast of wind. The ground became so clear. I could hear the birds rushing away out of fear. I could see my legs full of bruises and my clothes full of dirt.

And I saw a man whose hand was holding my right hand. His bright silver eyes were darted on me. I was frozen for a moment. Everything in him was a shade of white, but his eyes were very deep and hypnotizing. His lips were like cupid's bow. He had thick, ash-colored hair. He seemed to me like an angel but a part of me felt like he wasn't someone from heaven.

In just a second, he let go of my hand and everything went dark once again. I felt like my heart skipped a beat and my breathing stopped. I was catching my breath and was not able to think straight for a moment. It was so sudden. It was too fast.

"W-Who are you? How did you know my name?" I finally found the courage to say.

I could still feel his cold hands on my skin but I knew that he wasn't there anymore. It was like steel in the winter, so cold that it hurts. 

"Who are you? Why am I here?" I asked.

I searched for something in the dark and was able to grab a piece of a huge branch that fell from the trees. I used it to help me stand and walk. 

"Hello? Is anybody here?" I asked in desperation.

A voice from above uttered, "Look up."

I looked up and a hand, cold as steel, lifted me and everything became so bright again. My eyes were in pain, I shut it close as hard as I could. I felt the wind rushing towards me. The noise of the trees was deafening and the animals around us cried and trembled. When my eyes began to adapt, I opened them and saw him dragging me along the forest to a place that I didn't know. 

I didn't know what to feel, and I thought, 'Am I supposed to be scared? To feel safe? Where am I? Who is this man? And how did he know my name?'

He looked at me from above. His eyes were like darting knives. I was trembling. It was hard to breathe.

After a few moments, he stopped. I still couldn't believe what was happening. 'Is this a dream? Is this even real?'

We landed in a massive cave. The moon was so visible but the light that came from the man overwhelmed it. He was not letting go of my hand. I looked around and the cave had its own ecosystem inside. It was so huge that a mountain could fit into it. There are all sorts of plants that I had never seen before. 

"Where are we?" I asked.

His back was facing me. I could see some patterns in his back that seemed to me like tattoos inked with diamonds. I never saw anything like him before, not even in my dreams.

In a soft voice, he said, "Do you not remember? Have you really forgotten everything?"

He faced me. His tears were like drops of crystals. They were so clear and bright. He was trying to hide his face from me. I could feel his deep pain and somehow, a pint of anger in his eyes.

'What do you mean?'

I wanted to speak but I felt pain in my throat. I didn't notice the tears running down my cheeks. They were flowing nonstop. I felt pain in my chest. I felt so sad but I didn't know why.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to shout. As I looked at the man, I felt my heart break into very tiny pieces -- like a shattered glass, thrown and stepped on.

'Who are you?'

I tried to remember anything about him and everything about the place, but my mind was not cooperating. I felt like there was something inside my brain that keeps on holding my memory, forbidding it to flow. I knew I had it, but my body was working against my will. 

"W-Who are you?" I asked.

He breathed a sigh of pain and looked at me. His eyes shouted emotions that were foreign to me as if his mind wanted to tell me so many things but he was not able to. Then after a moment he said, "I love you... As long as the moon continues to shine across this earth, I will never stop loving you."

And all of a sudden, everything came back to normal -- cold, dark, and quiet.

I looked around. The moonlight was everywhere but there was no one. He was gone.

I searched the ground and found a tear-shaped crystal. 

My heart broke into even tinier pieces. I never knew that it was possible to feel pain on something you don't know; on something that you are uncertain about. 

Who was that man? And why do I feel like I have met him in the past?

For a moment, I felt like a part of my memory wanted to crash the wall that has forbidden it to flow. A tiny part of it was able to free itself from that prison inside my head.

Then it struck me. Tears came falling, and a name that I have never heard before was uttered by my mouth.

"Reu."

Then everything went dark.